Modern farms are faced with a variety of problems, including increased concern for soil erosion, crop residue management and rising production costs with stagnant crop prices. One way farmers are successfully addressing each of these concerns is to reduce, as far as possible, the number of passes which a farmer must make over his fields. In corn growing operations, after the corn is harvested, it is important for the farmer to conduct fall tillage to bury the crop residue (e.g., stocks or stubble) from the harvested crop and to break up sub-soil compaction in preparation for spring planting. In order to accomplish both of these tasks in a single pass, disc harrow implements have been developed.
Disc harrows contain a set of rotating blades that cut and incorporate residue into the soil. The rotation of the blades is created by the forward travel of the implement being pulled through the field by a tractor. One typical disc harrow has a pair of wings, each having multiple gangs of disc blades, mounted on the front of the implement with the wings angled inward and rearward toward each other followed by another pair of wings having disc gangs which are angled inward and forward toward each other.
The process of moving soil and residue in various soil types and various soil conditions with a disc harrow can lead to plugging problems. This plugging typically occurs when residue gets stuck between the disc scraper and the disc blade, or when residue builds up around the disc gang connection points. Once this plugged condition occurs, the operator must take quick action to prevent building up a large pile of dirt and residue in front of the disc harrow. The pile of residue is undesirable as it impacts planting conditions and has the potential to reduce the lift of the disc harrow.